A New York woman shares the sacred, the profane, and the mundane aspects of her year in Venice. And beyond.

31 May 2008

Mercatino update

The Art Gods were smiling this time (and they were mindful of my thin purse, too).

Here’s what I got: old photos of two fine, young Italians – he from Venice, she from Florence – who undoubtedly never met, but will soon become marito e moglia (husband and wife) in a diptych I am building. Sadly, they won’t be Italians anymore when I’m finished with them, just a nameless couple, a set of symbols. Some sacrifices must be made for art.

I’ve been waiting two or three months for this bride and groom to turn up. But I thought they would be of another era, perhaps of my mother’s generation. It turns out that this pair, being from the time of Queen Victoria, will embody the spirit and message I want for the piece perfectly.

Do you see the magic here? Something envisioned and desired simply appears. No smoke, no mirror, no strings. Just magic.